45 Lawmakers Call for a UK Apology for Balfour Declaration

Dozens of British lawmakers have called for the United Kingdom to issue a formal apology over the 1917 Balfour Declaration, arguing that Britain’s policies during its rule in Palestine played a decisive role in shaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A letter signed by 45 MPs and members of the House of Lords urges the British government to acknowledge historical responsibility for actions taken during the Mandate period from 1917 to 1948, when Britain governed Palestine following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

Among the signatories are Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, Labour MP Nadia Whittome, and Green Party MP Carla Denyer, who say Britain’s historical conduct in the territory warrants an official apology.

Supporters of the initiative argue that Britain’s policies during the Mandate period violated international legal norms and failed to protect the political rights of Palestine’s Arab population.

Layla Moran said the consequences of Britain’s actions continue to shape the modern conflict.

“During its occupation of Palestine, Britain violated a series of international laws that were binding at the time,” Moran said. She added that “the consequences of those actions have profoundly shaped the conflict we witness today, yet successive governments have refused to acknowledge this record or offer a formal apology.”

The letter also condemns British actions during the Mandate era, arguing that policies implemented between 1917 and 1948 contributed to long-term instability in the region.

The parliamentary appeal follows a petition delivered to the UK government in September of the previous year, organized by the campaign Britain Owes Palestine.

The petition was submitted by Munib al-Masri, a 91-year-old Palestinian businessman, and drafted by legal experts Ben Emmerson and Danny Friedman, along with three academic researchers.

Masri recounted his own experience under British rule in Palestine.

“I was a child when I was shot by British soldiers, and I still carry that memory - and shrapnel - in my body,” he said, adding that his experience reflected the broader suffering of Palestinians during that period.

The petition alleges that Britain committed violations of international law during its administration of Palestine, including failing to recognize Arab self-determination and lacking proper legal authority for the declaration and the subsequent Mandate framework.

Campaign organizers have given the government until September this year to respond. If no action is taken, they say they will pursue a judicial review in the courts.

The Balfour Declaration, issued in 1917 by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, expressed British support for establishing a Jewish national home in historic Palestine.

The declaration included a clause stating that the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities would not be prejudiced.

However, critics argue that subsequent political developments during the Mandate period contributed to the displacement of Palestinian communities.

During the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel, roughly 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their homes, an event widely known as the Nakba.Andolu

Many descendants of those displaced remain refugees and have not been allowed to return to properties inside what is now the state of Israel.

Britain formally ended its administration of Palestine in 1948, transferring responsibility for the territory to the newly established international framework that preceded the founding of Israel.

Supporters of the petition say an apology would primarily carry symbolic importance rather than financial implications.

Victor Kattan, a legal adviser to the campaign and an academic at the University of Nottingham, said the initiative focuses on recognition rather than monetary compensation. “Acknowledging wrongdoing can take various forms,” he said.

Kattan also noted that Britain’s history in Palestine is not widely covered in the country’s education system.

He said meaningful reparations could involve greater investment in education about the Mandate period and Britain’s role in the region.

“Britain’s history in this significant part of the globe is still not taught adequately in schools,” he said.

The debate over the Balfour Declaration continues to reflect broader disputes over historical responsibility and the legacy of European colonial governance in the Middle East.